Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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Engineers from the Hydromechanical Engineering Laboratory at the Higher School of Power Engineering, Institute of Power Engineering (HSEM IE), Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, have developed a line of highly efficient free-vortex dewatering pumps optimized for handling contaminated liquids. The efficiency of the new pumps is, on average, 1–3% higher than that of leading global equivalents. This work is being supported by the federal program "Priority 2030."
Sewage pumps often struggle to handle dirty liquids, wear quickly due to abrasive particles, fail, and have low efficiency. Meanwhile, free-vortex pumps (FVPs), which are resistant to very dirty water carrying sand, debris, wipes, medical masks, solids, fibrous media, and abrasive particles, have been the least studied due to the complex flow patterns within the flow path. However, using FVPs instead of traditional centrifugal pumps in wastewater treatment plants allows for a longer pump life without the need for repairs and downtime associated with flow path clogging.
Although centrifugal pumps have higher absolute efficiency, when considered over the entire pump lifecycle and considering that centrifugal pumps at sewage treatment plants are often oversized, it's possible to replace a centrifugal impeller with a free-flowing one without increasing the input power, thereby using electricity more efficiently. This will allow complex liquids to be pumped without breakdowns or downtime, making water supply systems more reliable and efficient, explained Arsenty Klyuev, project manager, research fellow at the GSEM Institute of Economics's Hydromechanical Engineering Laboratory, and leading specialist at the System Engineering Design Bureau.
SPbPU engineers developed a line of free-vortex pumps (SVN 50/20, SVN 100/20, SVN 160/20) and manufactured a prototype SVN 160/20. For various types of pumps, as a result of numerical calculations, they managed to achieve an increase in efficiency 1-3% higher than that of the world’s best analogues that left the market. In their work, polytechnicians used digital design and modeling technologies, as well as a combination of traditional and additive manufacturing technologies for a prototype. Initial experimental studies of the prototype SVN 160/20 have already been carried out at the stand in the Hydraulic Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, on the basis of which the mathematical model of the flow in the flow part of the free-vortex pump is being validated and which confirmed the calculated efficiency value. The capabilities of the research experimental and computational complex of the Laboratory of Hydraulic Mechanical Engineering made it possible to reduce the development period of new pumps to the stage of experimental research of a prototype from 1–1.5 years to 3–4 months. The conditions created with the support of the Priority 2030 program open up opportunities for research and development of methods for designing world-class pumping equipment. In addition, the technologies created by the engineers of the Laboratory of Hydraulic Mechanical Engineering of SPbPU make it possible to develop more energy-efficient and reliable products for various industries, including housing and communal services, the nuclear, oil and chemical industries, agriculture and are especially relevant for manufacturers of pumping equipment that do not have their own research and development center.
According to the Russian Pump Manufacturers Association, 70% of wastewater pumps (which include SVN pumps) will be imported into Russia in 2025, worth 1.5 billion rubles. "Our development has significant potential for import substitution of foreign equipment and strengthening the country's technological sovereignty in pump engineering. It's also worth noting that the project includes high-quality training for young engineers, as the average age of the team member is 24," noted Arseniy Klyuev.
The developers' future plans include conducting comprehensive experimental energy and cavitation studies of the SVN 160/20 prototype, followed by validation of the mathematical models. Following these studies, they will prepare for the launch of a pilot production series of pumps and scale up the product line.
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